Oh, Marinette
by Zyana
Summary: "Oh, Marinette" A classic phrase used by Tikki. Marinette, after a long series of events, is forced to decide whether or not to tell Adrien she knows he's Chat Noir. Knowing he doesn't love her, but her alter ego that's nothing like her, she decides to try and get over her harboured feelings while becoming Adrien's friend instead. Adrien becomes confused as he sees how much easier
1. Chapter 1

_**Listened to all of your guy's reviews, and yikes were there spelling mistakes. I don't know how i didn't notice them when I proof read. Lets just pray I got them all, whoops.**_

 _ **Also, stay tuned, next three chapters will be coming out soon!**_

* * *

"Pound it!" Chat Noir and Ladybug ended the battle with their typical fist bump, smiles on both of their faces. Ladybug narrowed her eyes as she watched her partners smile turn into a devious grin. He opened his mouth, hand on his hip with his typical swagger, but was swiftly interrupted from saying one of his punny pick up lines.

Both of their eyes widened as their miraculous's beeped, signalling that their time was running out.

Ladybug rolled her eyes as Chat dramatically bowed in front of her, a defeated look on his face. "Until next time, my lady." He hummed, bringing her hand to his lips.

Instead, Ladybug pushed his face away with ease, a small giggle escaping her mouth. "Settle down, Kitty." She teased, giving him a quick wink before she took out her yo-yo and searched for a good place to transform.

After finding a secluded ally Ladybug transformed from Ladybug and back to Marinette. She caught Tikki in her hands as she collapsed from exhaustion. "Oh, im sorry Tikki! I don't normally like running it that close! Don't worry, I have some sweets in my purse." Marinette let out a short laugh as Tikki hopped into her purse, wrestling to open the package of cookies. She mentally noted that she'd have to sneak a couple treats from the bakery to her room to make it up to her.

Meanwhile, Chat Noir was jumping across rooftops, finally stopping behind a bus stop bench. Little did he know, Marinette was standing in the ally behind him, mouth agape in shock. She decided to stay hidden, knowing how suspicious it would be for her to be out this late.

Marinette's eyes widened as he looked both ways down the street before beginning to transform. She almost called out to him to stop him, knowing how crazy it was to transform in the middle of the street. It didn't matter how late it was, it was extremely reckless of him.

Her words died on her lips as she watched the green lights fade away. Where Chat Noir once stood, Adrien Agreste took his place.

Marinette watched as Adrien shoved his hands in his pockets as his kwami rested in his jacket, munching down on some cheese. Her eyes didn't leave his body until he turned down a corner, presumably heading home. "Marinette? What's wrong?" Tikki asked, poking her head out of her purse as she noticed she wasn't moving, or breathing for that matter.

Adrien is Chat Noir..."

* * *

Marinette stayed up late thinking everything over. She should feel happy- ecstatic, really. She liked Adrien, and he liked Ladybug, which means that he likes her! Except it wasn't that simple. Adrien likes Ladybug, not Marinette. To Marinette, they're nothing alike, despite what Tikki tried telling her. Ladybug is confident, brave, while Marinette is a shy, bumbling fool. It would be so much better for the both of them if she just pretended this never happened.

So that's what she did. Or at least, tried to do. Marinette went to school the next morning with less then two hours of sleep. If Alya noticed how exhausted she was, which she must've considering her messy bun and dark circles under her eyes, she didn't mention it. She thought she made it through the day without a single comment... That is until Chloe noticed her attire. "Ew, you look disgusting. Did you even brush your teeth this morning?" Chloe pointed out, laughing madly as she turned to Sabrina.

Marinette didn't have the effort this morning to fight Chloe off with a sarcastic remark, so instead, she rubbed her tired eyes with her hands as she spoke. "Of course I did, Chloe." Marinette murmured, obviously surprising them with her short reply. She was surprised at the sound of a familiar voice, making his way over to the group.

"Just go eat lunch or something, Chloe. It's obvious Marinette didn't get enough sleep. Besides, I think she looks adorable." Adrien chimed in, surprising everyone. Marinette looked up at him with wide eyes, face heating up. She quickly looked away as Adrien sent her a friendly smile and a wink. Chloe and Sabrina stormed off with no more then a few muttered words. "Mind if we join you?" Adrien asked, sitting down at the table Alya and Marinette were sat at before he even received an answer.

It was clear he was just asking for the sake of being poliet, but Marinette couldn't help the urge to reply. "Sure. Just keep the compliments to a minimum." She teased, before she covered her mouth with a gasp. He was just being kind as he defended her, a extra little shove at Chloe, but Marinette couldn't help the comment that escaped her mouth. Why was she acting like she was talking to Chat Noir? Marinette looked around the table at everyone's reactions, all of them similar to hers. Adrien's face went from confused, shock, to a sheepish smile.

"S-Sorry. I-I didn't mean to call you adorab- not that you aren't adorable! Oh god..." Adrien rambled, thinking how much of a fool he was to make that comment. Marinette could barely speak to him and yet he called her _adorable!_ He was surprised to be cut off from his rambling by a giggle from Marinette.

Marinette waved her hand, trying to calm him down. "It's fine, I was just teasing." She admitted, giving Adrien a wide smile to reassure him. He seemed to relax more, a small smile forming on his lips.

The rest of the lunch hour went on with a flash, eventually Nino and Adrien both got up to go back to their lockers. As soon as they were out of sight Alya was latching onto Marinette's arm with strength she never imagined her having. "What the hell is going on?" Alya asked, no, demanded, to know.

Marinette ripped her arm from Alya's grasp and rubbed it as she winced. "Ow... What do you mean?" She moaned, looking at her friend with a hint of annoyance.

Ignoring her pain, Alya continued. "How do you go from barely-able-to-complete-a-sentence to teasing him in the matter of a day?" Alya asked, latching onto Marinette's hands instead. "Girl, you have some explaining to do!"

Marinette cringed, realising her mistake. Keeping her secret from both Adrien and Chat Noir is going to be a lot harder then she first thought.

* * *

"Marinette, are you sure you should keep this from Adrien? I'm sure he'll like you just as much as he likes Ladybug!" Tikki tried to reassure the young heroine, but to no use. Marinette gave Tikki a short look, letting her know exactly how she felt.

She walked around the room with a large box, taking down magazine clippings of Adrien. She was no where near done, but the box was already half full! It made her blush as she realised how her crush was borderline creepy. Taking down the posters hurt, but she couldn't just keep harbouring feelings for someone who was never going to love her back. "Marinette, c'mon... If you keep this attitude up, you'll be akumatized!"

Marinette scoffed as she unpinned another photo of Adrien. "I-I'm not mad. Or sad. I feel... Indifferent... Empty." She admitted, pausing to let out a short sigh. "I'll be okay, Tikki. Just because I can't date Adrien, doesn't mean I can't be friends with him. This is great, really. Without all these feelings standing in the way, I can finally get closer to him, right? I mean, im not as nervous around him anymore! Not as comfortable as I am around Chat, but I can get there!" Despite her words, she couldn't bring herself to feel all that excited.

Tikki let out a heavy sigh after Marinette had finished her rambling. "Oh, Marinette..."

* * *

Today was one of the worst days of Marinette's life and it wasn't even lunch yet. The day started off with a detention slip due to her being late for the third time that week, not even to mention she came in soaking wet due to the rain. She tracked in mud and was sent back out to clean herself up, Chloe made sure to snicker loud enough for her to hear.

"Are you kidding me?" Marinette hit her head against her hand with a groan, completely fed up with the day. "I failed the test. Again." Marinette added, turning her head to look at Alya as they began to walk outside for lunch.

Alya rolled her eyes but placed a hand on her shoulder anyways. "Maybe you should do less sleeping in and more studying." Alya teased, causing Marinette to stick her tongue out at her, childishly. "But I think I have something that will make you feel better." She added, a devilish grin on her face.

"Oh yeah? What is i-" Marinette was cut off by the sound of her own screaming, falling down the stairs due to her own clumsiness. She would of hit the ground pretty hard too, if it wasn't for Adrien catching her.

Marinette looked up to meet Adrien's eyes, complete panic and horror written across her face. Adrien had one arm on her shoulder and the other on her waist, causing a blush to rise on her face as he gave her a friendly smile. "Nice to see you _drop_ in." Marinette could see the Chat-like grin in him, she had to hold back the urge to roll her eyes at his pun.

Marinette brushed herself off after Adrien helped her stand straight, his hands still on her. "S-Sorry." She apologised, surprised at the stutter still in her voice. She thought she was past that.

Adrien, finally taking his hands from her, let out a small laugh as Alya and Nino joined the pair. "Oh, hey Alya. Sorry, but I got Nino for lunch today." Adrien bragged, wrapping his arm around his friend.

Nino cringed, slightly. "Sorry bro, promised Alya i'd come over." Nino apologised, watching as Adrien took his arm from him with a pout.

Alya found this the perfect opportunity to swoop in. "Well, that's okay, you can just have lunch with Marinette instead." She suggested, shoving Marinette forward towards Adrien.

Adrien gave Marinette a big grin as a reply. "Sure. What do you say, Marinette?" To Adrien anything sounded better then being stuck with Chloe.

He watched as Marinette fidgeted slightly, hands behind her back. "Well, I was planning on going home for lunch if you'd like to join me. We could play video games or something." She suggested, giving him a shy smile.

Adrien's grin grew wider, hoping he'd get the chance to finally beat her. "That sounds awesome! See you lovebirds later." He waved Nino and Alya a quick goodbye before the pair headed off in the opposite way. "So, how do you think you did on the test today?" Adrien asked, breaking the silence. It wasn't uncomfortable, but it was getting there.

Marinette groaned and covered her face. "Totally failed." She told him, the despair clear in her voice.

"Rough day?" He asked, eyes going from her still-damp hair and back to her. Marinette's blush deepened as she nodded her head, eyes going to her feet from embarrassment. "Here. I think I have something that can help." Adrien added, digging into his pocket.

Marinette's eyes widened in shock as he handed her the lucky charm she gave him. "You kept that?" She asked, staring at the charm in awe.

Adrien nodded, a proud smile on his face. "Never leave home without it!" He bragged, placing both hands on his hips. "I meant to give it back, sorry about that." He added, looking away with a small, sheepish smile.

"No, no!" Marinette was a little to quick to reassure him, quickly taking a second to get a hold of herself. With a suddenly confident smirk, she handed the charm back to him. "If we're playing Ultimate Mecha Strike III, I think you might want to hold onto this."

Adrien looked at her with wide eyes, surprised by her boldness. His shock was quickly replaced with a confident grin of his own, clenching the charm in a fist.

"You're so on!"

* * *

"You sure you don't want to play again?" Marinette teased after winning the battle for what seemed like the millionth time. "Maybe i'll even go a little easy on you." Adrien glared daggers at Marinette, but he couldn't deny how much of a good time he was having with her. He was surprised how fast she seemed to warm up to him. Before, he thought it was best not to hang around her too much because of how nervous he made her. Was she just intimidated because hes her favourite fashion designers son? Though Marinette's not someone to shy away from people from stupid titles.

Adrien was about to answer but Marinette's mother cut her off, calling them down for dinner. "Oh, I hope you don't mind eating here." Marinette gave him a sheepish smile before heading down to the dining room. He was quick behind her, a bounce in his step.

His mouth nearly watered at the sight of the table. He wasn't used to this much food, not even to mention the taste. Adrien couldn't help but thank the family multiple times that meal.

"Don't worry, sweetie, its no big deal. It's our treat, really. We're not used to Marinette having a boy over." Sabine gushed, causing Marinette to choke on her food.

"Mother!" Marinette shrieked, giving her warning glare.

To Marinette's surprise, Adrien chuckled at her moms words. "Well, thank you anyways." He thanked, once more. Truth be told, Adrien wasn't used to being full and _god_ did he love the feeling.

Tom Dupain let out a hearty laugh, which Adrien had to admit, the way he laughed reminded him of Santa Claus. "Well, you're welcome here anytime." Adrien felt his grin grow, pleasantly surprised with how kind Marinette's family was.

Marinette, who was currently pretending to look at the time, was not. "Oh, would you look at that, better leave or we will be late for school. Bye, love you!" Marinette was dragging Adrien out the door before he could say anything.

* * *

Marinette's journey home from school was cut off by the sound of screaming. She quickly ran behind a tree and opened her bag, smiling down at Tikki. "Tikki, spots on!" She whispered, transforming into LadyBug. A devilish grin rose onto her face, already feeling the confidence that came with being Ladybug. She threw her yo-yo and swung her way towards the noise.

On her way towards the chaos, she ran into Chat Noir, and from there they continued towards the akuma.

By the time the fight was over, the sun was beginning to set behind the mountains. Today was one of their longest akuma battles yet and the effects of that battle were reflected clearly onto both Chat and Ladybug. "Pound it." They both spoke, not holding nearly as much enthusiasm as the words usually do. Chat gave Ladybug a short goodbye before racing away, heading towards the Agreste Mansion. Now that she knew he was Adrien, it was so obvious to her how he was Chat Noir. They were complete copies of one another, how she didn't notice it before, surprised her.

Ladybug swung her way back to the bakery and transformed back to Marinette. She took a long, deserved shower after making it home. With her hair still wet, Marinette sat up on the roof with music playing, low enough to not disturb any neighbours. Tikki was fast asleep inside, surrounded by sweets. She laughed just thinking about her in her sugar coma. Marinette closed her eyes and leaned against the railing as one of her favourite instrumental songs came on, the sad but hopeful melody calming her.

Marinette's peaceful silence was quickly disturbed. "Princess?" Chat Noir called, causing her to jump and let out a yelp. "Woah! Didn't mean to scare you." He apologised, but was clearly keeping in his giggles.

She scowled at him, crossing her arms over her chest. "What are you doing here, Chat?" Marinette asked, tapping her foot with annoyance. Despite knowing he was Adrien, it didn't make him any less infuriating.

Chat shrugged as he walked across the railing, a smug look on his face. "Just in the neighbourhood and thought i'd stop by to see my favourite civilian." He teased, pinching Marinette's cheek in the process.

She pushed his hand away with a roll of her eyes, running a hand through her wet hair. She knew his excuse wasn't true. Her house wasn't on the way to his from where the akuma fight had finished, so he went out of his way to see her... Marinette.. Not Ladybug... "Seriously, Chat." Marinette gave him a frown, to show how serious she was. "What's wrong?" Chat looked at her with a raised eyebrow, coming off as unknowing until his demeanor broke. He let out a sigh and leaped off the railing to lean against it.

"Can't a guy who just so happens to be a superhero, come hang out with a claw-some gal?" Chat asked, his smile widening at the pun. Marinette punched him in the arm, hard. "Ow! Okay, I deserved that." Chat moaned, rubbing at his arm. "Damn, you throw a punch." He added, cringing slightly.

Calming down from her small fit of laughter, Marinette calmed down and looked at him with a nervous frown. What was his angle? Why was he of all people coming to see Marinette? "Shouldn't you be hanging out with Ladybug or something?" She asked, folding her arms over her chest. "There was just an akuma battle, wasn't there? Aren't you tired?"

Chat shrugged dramatically, taking her question as an invitation to take a seat on one of her lawn chairs next to her. "I'm actually feeling pretty claw-some!" He answered, a smug grin on his face. "As for Ladybug? I think I bug her too much." Before he could continue with his puns, Marinette punched him in the arm again. "Why must you make me suf-fur." He added, placing a hand on his heart as he acted wounded.

"Enough with the puns, I can't take it." Marinette groaned, falling back in her chair despite the small smile growing on her face.

Chat gasped, sitting up straighter in his seat. "What? But puns are the cat's meow!" He argued, crossing his arms over his chest, dramatically.

"You are really stressing meow't." Marinette covered her mouth in shock, surprised with herself. She looked at Chat at his eyes widened and mouth opened in shock. "Don't you dare ever mention this to anyone." She demanded, stomping her foot to prove her point.

Chat's open mouth turned into a devilish grin. "You like puns!" He cheered, standing from his seat for dramatic effect. "You totally like puns! Oh my god, this is hilarious." Chat continued, falling back in his seat with a laugh. Annoyed, Marinette took the closest thing to her and threw it at his face, which just so happened to be her lucky charm. "Ooo. What's this?" Chat asked, holding it in his hand as he waved it back and forth. "Some sort of hypnotising device?" Of course he was playing clueless.

Marinette rolled her eyes and yanked the charm out of his hands. "It's a lucky charm. Adrien must of forgotten it here." She told him, although it sounded more like she was telling herself. Chat didn't miss the small smile that grew on her lips.

Chat pretended to look interested. "Ooo. Are you going to give it back to him?" He asked.

Marinette shrugged before pausing, examining the charm some more. "Well, technically its mine..." She admitted, although she knew he was just playing dumb. She could play dumb, too. "Do you think you could somehow get it back to him without him knowing he left it for me?" Marinette asked, playing naive.

"Ah, I think I can take this request from the wonder-fur purr-incess." Chat told her, taking the charm from her before bowing, dramatically. "I'll be sure he gets this at once!" He adds before doing a backflip off the roof, just to show off.

Marinette crossed her arms over her chest as she watched Chat run off into the distance.

"I can totally do this." Marinette told herself with a smug grin.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Soooooo I totally forgot I posted this on here. So actually, this entire story is up and on archiveofourown! But, im going over everything and editing it because I listened to your guys reviews and damn I missed a lot when I proof read. Mybad (Chapter 1 was also reedited)**_

* * *

Adrien, who was currently walking to school on a rainy Tuesday morning, was trying to wrap his mind around everything. Why was he so interested in Marinette? The girl who could barely speak a sentence to him suddenly seemed to break out of her shell. He finally started to notice her more, hell, he even went to her as Chat Noir just to get her lucky charm back.

Usually Adrien got a ride in the limo to school but today he had insisted on walking so he could have time to think and get some fresh air. He didn't know it was raining until he had gotten outside.

Marinette, who for once wasn't running late, saw Adrien looking miserable on his walk to school. An idea started to form in her head as her eyes went to the umbrella Adrien had given her. A small, determined smile rose on her face.

Marinette giggled after she seemed to pull Adrien from his thoughts. He had jumped in surprise as the umbrella shielded him from the rain. "Oh, hey Marinette!" He greeted, a hint of nervousness in his tone. His nervousness seemed to help Marinette become more comfortable as she handed him the umbrella with a smile.

"Hi, Adrien!" Marinette greeted, a friendly smile on her face. She seemed to be in a great mood, her poka dot gum boots stood out due to how dark and gloomy it was. "Finally I have an excuse to give you this umbrella back." She joked, after handing him the handle as they both walked to school.

Adrien shook his head as he handed the umbrella back to her. "Nope. Not allowed. I have your lucky charm, so you have my umbrella." He argued, a determined look in his eye. "It's a token for our friendship!" He added, causing Marinette's eyes to widen as she looked up at him.

Adrien, who was beginning to regret what he said due to the look on Marinette's face, was surprised when her shock turned to a smile. "Sure." She agreed, holding onto the umbrella a little bit tighter. "To friendship!"

* * *

"Are you guys going to the fall festival?" Nino asked, turning to face Alya and Marinette, Adrien soon turning to join them. "Hear there might be a fireworks show at the end, last one of the year probably before winter comes around."

Alya seemed like she was about to speak but Marinette quickly interjected, slamming her hands down on the table with excitement. "Yes! I love festivals, not even to mention Autumn!" She gushed, squirming in her chair with excitement.

Alya crossed her arms over her chest and rolled her eyes. "Marinette's favourite season is Fall, if you couldn't already tell." She explained, before turning her head to face Marinette. "I can't go. We're going to go visit family." She admitted, looking at her friend with a small frown.

Adrien, seeing how disappointed Marinette looked, quickly interjected. "Well, you can just come with us, right Nino?" Adrien offered, looking over at Nino for support.

Nino cringed. "Can't. I'm working, but ill be able to make it for the fireworks." He told the pair, looking slightly guilty as he scratched the back of his neck.

"That's fine." Marinette began, eyes soon going to Adrien. "We can just go together, right?" She offered, before her eyes widened and she backed off slightly. "T-That is if you, um, wan't to..." She stuttered, her face very quickly heating up.

Marinette was surprised by the friendly smile Adrien gave her. "Sure! That'll be awesome!" Adrien agreed, not noticing the excited look Alya was giving Nino. "Here, give me your phone number and then ill text you tomorrow when im on my way to the fair." He suggested, handing Marinette his phone.

Adrien noticed Marinette's flushed cheeks as she fumbled with his phone, eventually handing it back to him with a shy smile. He smiled at the nickname she gave herself in his phone, 'Mari.' They didn't have much more time to speak before the teacher was calling for them to pay attention.

* * *

"Alya I have no idea what to do!" Marinette screeched, digging through her closet as her phone sat on speaker. "What do I wear? What do I say?" She added from the pile of clothes she sat in. "What if im awkward, like usual, and say something embarrassing!"

Alya interjected with a laugh. "C'mon, Marinette. This is your chance! Get some hot cocoa, cuddle up by the fire." She spoke with suggestive tone of voice, causing Marinette to blush just thinking about it.

"What if I told you I just want to be his friend..." Marinette admitted, cringing as she heard Alya gasp and fall from wherever she was sitting.

"Are you kidding?" Alya asked, voice booming through the microphone. "You've been crushing on Adrien all year but as soon as you two begin to get closer, that's it?" Marinette fidgeted from where she sat on the floor before getting up and grabbing her phone, taking it off speaker as she pressed it against her ear.

"It's just..." Marinette started before she paused and let out a long sigh. "I know he doesn't like me. I'm not naive. So im trying to just be his friend, no feelings involved." She admitted, although she didn't sound so confident. "But... I still like him." She added as she collapsed into her chair.

"Oh, Marinette..." Alya cooed, pity clear in her voice. "I'll be home before you know it and we can eat ice cream and watch movies. Don't give up so easily, im sure as soon as he gets to know the real you he will totally be head over heels."

Marinette giggled before she spoke. "Ice cream sounds great." She paused before continuing. "Now I have to go, I should be leaving soon."

After her conversation with Alya, Marinette had decided to busy herself with drawing. Of course, she was glancing at her phone every few seconds. She eventually gave up with her attempt to distract herself and went back to gushing over her outfit in the mirror. Picking and pulling, she had to make sure it was just right. She adjusted the grey infinity scarf that was wrapped around her neck with a frown. The scarf went nicely with her dark green jacket and white t-shirt, but she definitely felt out of place. She wasn't used to wearing such comfy yet fashionable clothes, usually playing it safe with her style.

Today, she was feeling brave, and even had her hair down and in loose waves that looked effortless, even though it took her nearly an hour to complete. Before she knew it, she was receiving a text from Adrien, saying he was on his way to the fair.

Nearly dropping her phone, Marinette ran out of her room and to the bakery to say goodbye to her parents. She gave her dad a quick peck on the cheek as he was in the kitchen, busy with orders. When she got to the front she gave her mom a hug from behind from where she stood at the cash register, a large crowd gathered in front of it. She could hear her mom's laugh as she raced out the door.

Knowing she would be much earlier then Adrien, Marinette sat on a bench in the park as she glanced around at all the booths with a excited smile. She couldn't wait to go look at them.

 **"I'm by the Chat Noir and Ladybug booth."**

 **-Mari**

She waited patiently for a reply after deleting and retyping the message a million times. She was surprised with how fast she received an answer.

 **"Awesome! On my way over now!"**

 **-Adrien**

Marinette looked at the text message with a nervous frown, biting her lip afterwards. She wasn't close to Adrien, not in the slightest, even though he came over for lunch the other day. Sure, she could make conversation with him now, but it wasn't like they truly knew each other. They always had something to fill the air, whether it was video games, their friends, or even her parents when they ate lunch. How was she supposed to make conversation with him _all day._

"Hey, Marinette!" Adrien greeted, walking towards her with a smile. Marinette jumped in surprise, but gave him a friendly wave anyways. Her smile grew at the sight of the familiar blue scarf he was wearing. Adrien took a seat next to her, turning his body so he was facing her more.

"O-Oh! Hi, Adrien." Marinette greeted, a blush already forming on her cheeks. She thought she was over her nervous stuttering when she was around him.

"What booth were you thinking of looking at first?" He asked, finally taking the opportunity to look around at the market. The entire place was decorated with pumpkins and colourful leaves, there were even a couple scary costumes out for sale for the Halloween season. He almost laughed out loud at the sight of the scary masks on the Ladybug and Chat Noir statue.

Marinette crossed her legs and played with her fingers, shyly. "Well, I was thinking we could go get warm drinks. Y'know, keep our hands warm while we look around." She offered, looking away nervously.

"Sure. That sounds smart." Adrien agreed, looking at the colourful leaves blowing in the wind. It was getting pretty cold, with it being so close to winter. "C'mon, I think I saw one on my way over to you."

The pair walked to the reasonably close booth in silence, Marinette sneaking a glance at him ever so often. The comfortable silence was only broken after they had gotten in line. "I think i'll get a caramel macchiato." She told Adrien after he asked what she'll be getting. She took this chance to glance over at him, examining his bright smile and green eyes. "What about you?"

"Probably a vanilla latte." Adrien answered before he turned from the menu by the booth to Marinette. "Why are you giving me that look?" He asked, with a laugh.

Marinette shrugged, nose crinkling as she laughed. "I dunno, you just do seem like a vanilla latte kind of guy." She joked, nudging him with her shoulder, lightly.

"Oh, yeah?" Adrien started, nudging her back. "Then i'll get a mocha! How's that for predicable." He teased, sticking his tongue out at her. He felt happy with how she seemed to be getting more and more comfortable around him.

The pair stopped bickering after getting close to the barista. Before Marinette could dig through her wallet for some extra change, Adrien had already finished paying for them both. "Really, you didn't need to do that." She told him as they walked away from the coffee booth, no particular direction in mind.

"It's fine. I like paying for my friends." Adrien spoke, reassuring her with a smile. Marinette couldn't help the blush on her cheeks from his words.

Still, she examined Adrien, a confused look to her face. "What's got you in such a good mood?" She asked, a smile soon on her face due to his contagious happiness.

Adrien shrugged before he looked at her, his smile growing if that was even possible. "I don't know..." He started, looking away from her to examine the booths they walked by. "I guess im just excited. I know today's going to be fun." He admitted, eventually turning back to see her reaction. Marinette fumbled with words, her face heating up in the process.

Thankfully, Marinette didn't have to think of a reply before Adrien was dragging her towards a booth dedicated to Ladybug and Chat Noir, although the majority of the booth was Ladybug items. She couldn't help but laugh as she watched him gush over the merchandise. "Something tells me you already have the majority of all of this." She giggled before covering her hand over her mouth to contain it.

Adrien turned to look at her with a blush, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly. "I'm still looking for some rare collectables... That's why I wanted to come check this booth out." He admitted, face nearly as red as the Ladybug souvenirs next to them.

"Well, come on!" Marinette burst, voice still laced with her laughter. "Lets find it." She gave him an encouraging grin as he looked at her in surprise. "What do they look like?" She asked as she already began to dig through the t-shirts and action figures.

Adrien had to shake himself out of his shocked trance, quickly coming up next to her to help search. "Well, there's one action figure of her throwing her yo yo, a tiny little glass Ladybug that I've been on the search for for what feels like years-" He soon cut himself off from his nerdy rambling when his eyes landed on a necklace. "There's one!" He cheered, picking up the silver necklace with a ladybug pendent attached to the chain.

"Aw, that's so cute!" Marinette gushed, a small smile on her face. "I think I might get this one." She admitted, holding up a necklace with a black paw pendent.

Adrien couldn't help but feel quite smug. "Oh, fan of Chat Noir are you?" He asked, waggling his eyebrows.

Marinette scoffed and rolled her eyes as she handed the clerk money for the necklace. "Yeah right." She laughed. "I just think he deserves more recognition." She told him, gesturing to the lack of Chat Noir merchandise with her eyes.

Adrien bit down on his tongue, surprised. "Really?" He asked before she nodded her head with a blush. She didn't really mean to say that, although he did deserve to hear it. "I'm sure he appreciates it..." He mumbled as she pulled the necklace over her head, hiding it under her shirt.

Later on, as Marinette was distracted by the arts and crafts layed before her, Adrien checked his phone. He had a message from Nino who was currently on his break, asking how the fair was. A grin rose on his face as he called Marinette over, her eyebrow raised in confusion. "Say cheese!" He cheered, a large smile on his face as he wrapped his arm around her, doing a peace sign over her shoulder. Marinette soon shook herself out of her shock and smiled up at the camera while wrapping an arm around him, telling herself that her cheeks were red due to the cold.

"What was that for?" Marinette asked after Adrien had pulled away.

"Nino asked how the festival is going." He answered as he finished sending the message to Nino. "Also, I need a photo for your contact in my phone." He added, giving her a smile.

Marinette looked at the picture, happy with how well it actually came out. "Send it to me." She told him, before moving away from him to continue looking at the craft supplies. "It's a cute photo. Plus, Alya will probably be asking what's up, too." She explained, although she didn't really need to, he was already on his way to send it to her.

Half of the festival was set up with games for younger kids to play, from the popular cake walk to a bean bag toss. "Do you want to go try out some of the games?" Adrien asked after catching Marinette watching that side of the fair.

Marinette jumped, surprised with being caught. "Oh no, its fine." She babbled, managing not to stutter.

Adrien laughed at her reaction before he turned to walk in that direction. "Come on, a couple games wont hurt. Bet I can beat you." He teased, his competitive side soon showing.

"Is that a challenge?" Marinette asked with a laugh. "You're so on." She added, a confident smirk on her face.

They started off with skeeball, who Marinette beat him easily at. She was used to throwing her yo-yo with precision, a ball wasn't much different. Eventually they moved on to bobbing for apples which Adrien won by a land slide. Marinette basically lost by forfeit as she wouldn't shove her face fully in the cold water, not wanting to mess up the hair she spent hours on. After hours of playing games and looking at booths, they eventually stopped to rest at the bench they met at.

"Are you hungry? We could go get dinner at my house." Marinette offered, struggling to keep the nervous tone out of her voice. "My parents won't mind and the fireworks don't start until nine." She added, hoping that it wouldn't sound too creepy.

"That sounds great." Adrien answered, a genuine smile on his face. Her family was so nice and warm towards him, he was glad to eat with them again. It wasn't long before her family was stuffing food in his face, he could already imagine Nathalie yelling at him later for ruining his perfect diet. In reality, he couldn't care less about a diet. With being active as Chat Noir and eating as much as a model does, he was underfed if anything.

He was surprised when Sabine greeted him with a friendly hug, while Tom slapped a hand onto his shoulder, squeezing lightly. "It's great to see you again." Tom greeted, a genuine smile on his face that warmed Adrien's heart. He didn't know how this family had so much warmth and kindness. He couldn't help but think how lucky Marinette was, knowing she deserved every last bit of love her family gave her. She never had a bad thing to say about anyone, and now he knew where it came from.

Marinette looked over at Adrien sprawled out on her sofa in her bedroom, laying on his back with his hands on his stomach. "I think they broke you." She spoke between giggles, eventually having to cover her mouth. She sat cross legged in her chair at her desk, facing him with her sketch book in her lap. While she gave him time to recover, she was drawing new designs and random, small doodles. All Adrien could answer with was a long groan, causing Marinette to have another small laughing fit.

Adrien opened his eyes and turned his head to look at Marinette, chuckling slightly due to her contagious laughter. "Your parents are the best." He told her with a dreamy sigh, just thinking about the food they ate.

Marinette shrugged slightly as she drew. "Really? Sometimes I think they can be a little... Nosy." She admitted as Adrien rolled over onto his stomach, gesturing for her to continue. "I don't know, they just like to know what's going on in my life all the time. I know they mean well so I don't mind it too much." Adrien nodded, understanding, although he personally would kill for a parent like that. "Anyways, we have some time to kill before Nino gets here." She added, grabbing her phone from on top of her desk to check the time.

Adrien nodded, watching as she stood to connect her phone to her stereo. She played a random Jagged Stone song, knowing Adrien was a fan as well. She sat back down on her chair, rolling towards her desk as it spun around. She relaxed slightly at the sound of Adrien humming along to the song. Marinette joined his humming as she continued her drawing, tapping her fingers along to the music. "I used to dance to this song all the time." Adrien admitted, a cheesy smile on his face.

Marinette couldn't help but laugh. "I actually can see you doing that." She said between giggles. "I can't dance at all." She added, a frown forming on her face. She always wished she could but she never had a good sense of rhythm when it came to dancing.

She jumped slightly at Adrien's reaction, who had quickly sat up with a shocked expression. "What? You don't know how to dance?" He asked, although it sounded more like a surprised statement then a question. Marinette nodded her head, shyly. "Well, I can teach you." He offered, seeming confident in himself.

"W-Wha- You don't have to do that..." Marinette panicked slightly as she waved him off, scared of embarrassing herself in front of him.

"Oh, come on!" Adrien babbled, jumping up as he began to move to the music, making sure to crank the stereo up. "You just need to move with the beat." He sang, holding a hand out to her with a smile. With a shy blush, she hesitated to take his hand. She let out a surprised gasp after being pulled from her seat rather quickly. He took her other hand and began to move, bouncing to the beat without a care in the world. Marinette looked down at his feet before she tried to mimic him, looking up to Adrien for approval with a raise of her eyebrow. "Don't think! Just move!" He yelled over the loud music, starting to do silly dances to make her feel more comfortable.

Marinette laughed as she did silly moves of her own, eventually letting go of Adrien so she could spin around the room with a smile. "You got it now!" She heard Adrien cheer as he did dance moves to fit the songs lyrics. She felt as carefree as she felt when she was Ladybug, her chest bubbled in excitement from all the adrenaline. The pair laughed and danced crazy when bad pop songs played, Marinette nearly collapsed due to her laughter when Adrien sang and danced along to boy bands.

The pair froze when the music was turned off, slowly turning to meet the eyes of Alya and Nino who were covering there mouths, attempting to contain their laughter. "A-Alya, you're back!" Marinette stuttered, trying to play nonchalant.

"Oh my god, we're friends with horrible dancers." Nino spoke between his giggles, patting Adrien on the back. "Do you guys even know how late it is? The fireworks are starting in like twenty minutes." He told them, causing Marinette and Adrien to look at each other in surprise. They didn't realise how long they were goofing off for.

"Here, let me just grab some blankets and pillows, just hang out on the terrace." Marinette spoke before heading downstairs, Alya short behind her to help out. They didn't make it far until Alya was latching onto her arm. "Ow! You need to stop doing that!" Marinette complained, yanking her arm from her grasp.

Alya ignored her once more, bouncing on the heels of her feet in excitement. "You guys were dancing! Together! Like idiots! That's so cute, oh my god, and that picture you sent me!" She rambled on and on, Marinette only interrupted her when she asked if they had kissed.

"Oh my gosh, shut up." She groaned before shoving a pile of pillows in her arms. She picked up a bunch of blankets before they headed back upstairs, setting up a comfy place to sit and watch the fireworks from. "Do you guys want anything to eat or drink?" Marinette asked, looking more at Alya and Nino since she didn't know if they ate yet.

"No, it's fine." Nino reassured her, taking a seat on the far end of the blanket, next to Alya. "Alya and I ate before we came here." He added, wrapping an arm around his girlfriend.

Marinette nodded before taking a seat on the other side of her friend, the only place left for Adrien to sit was next to her. Eventually the group erupted into conversation, talking about how Marinette kicked Adrien's ass at skeeball to how she got destroyed at almost all the other games. "You know what? At least im better then you at video games!" Marinette challenged, pointing a finger in Adrien's face with a laugh.

"Oh really? The only game you play is Mecha strike! Try playing other games, I bet you i'll beat you." Adrien laughed as he teased Marinette, nudging her slightly with his shoulder.

Marinette scoffed before crossing her arms over her chest, nudging him back harder. "That sounds like a challenge." She shot back, a glint in her eyes that really proved how competitive she was. Adrien was rendered speechless as he watched her laugh, stands of hair falling in front of her face. He quickly shook himself out of it, and continued to tease her back.

Eventually, the group was silenced by the fireworks, watching in awe and cheering whenever there were larger ones. Eventually Alya whipped out her phone to take pictures, snapping a couple of group selfie's before turning her camera towards the fireworks. There were rumours that Ladybug and Chat Noir were going to be apart of the finale, although Marinette and Adrien knew they were false. The entire group was shocked when fireworks erupted into red, black, and green, clearly representing the Paris superheroes. The last two fireworks even managed to look like a ladybug and a cat, causing cheers to be heard all across Paris.

"These are totally going on the ladyblog!" Alya gushed, frantically typing into her phone.

Marinette was speechless as she was staring up at the now empty sky. Her chest tightened and warmth pooled into her stomach, the recognition for her and Adrien's work felt amazing. She glanced over at Adrien to see his reaction, a toothy grin on his face as his eyes were glued to the sky.

Marinette quickly looked away, hating the warm feeling in the pit of her stomach that wasn't cause of the fireworks. How was she supposed to get over him when he looked like that?

She groaned and rested her head in her hands, rubbing at her eyes in frustration. Getting over Adrien was going to be much harder then first expected.


	3. Chapter 3

**So, there's only one chapter left! Shouldn't take too long to put up, just need to do some editing here and there :)**

* * *

Marinette stood at the cash register with a smile glued on her face, greeting everyone with the same warmth and kindness as the last. "That will be 6.99." She told the woman in front of her, surprised when she gave her a ten and told her to keep the change. "Thank you, mademoiselle! Have a wonderful day!" She called after her as the woman waved while she exited, a group of teens holding the door open for her.

Surprisingly, Marinette loved working in the bakery, especially on slow Sundays. She couldn't stand lunch rush, but instead she adored the time when only a handful of customers sat at the tables drinking coffee as the sun shined through the windows, or the rain poured, the sound of the drops hitting the roof calmed her slightly. Marinette smiled as Alya walked in with Nino close behind her.

Marinette walked towards them with a tub for dirty dishes, stopping at a table to scrub it clean. "Hey guys, what can I get for you?" She asked, placing the bucket down and whipping out a notepad as the couple sat in front of her.

"Oh, we're gonna wait to order." Alya told her with a wicked grin on her face. Marinette eyed her suspiciously, knowing her friend wasn't up to any good.

"Yeah!" Nino joined in, turning to face Marinette, obliviously. "We're just waiting for Adrien." He added, before turning to look at Alya. He noticed the expression she wore and looked at the pair of friends in confusion. "Am I missing something?"

Alya and Marinette couldn't help but laugh. "So, I'll start you guys off with some cheese bread, on the house." Marinette decided, between giggles. Alya and Nino tried to offer to pay, but Marinette ignored them, heading into the kitchen to whip up the plate of food. When she came back out, Adrien was already sitting with the group. "Hi, Adrien." Marinette greeted as she placed the food down on the table.

"Hey, Mari!" Adrien sang back as she struggled not to blush at the nickname. "Slow day?" He asked, making conversation.

Marinette let out a dreamy sigh. "My favourite." She hummed as she whipped out her notepad once more. "Now, what can I get you guys?"

After getting her friends order, her parents insisted she left work early and join them. With a tight hug and a 'thank you, thank you, thank you' Marinette was heading towards her friends, this time, apron-less. "Hey, guys, don't mind if I join you?" She asked, already taking a seat next to Alya.

"We were just talking about you!" Alya hinted, a devious grin on her face. Marinette looked at her friends with confusion, noticing the blush on Adrien's face as he squirmed in his seat. Little did she know, Nino and Alya were grilling him to spill whether or not he had feelings for her. Adrien insisted it was all platonic, despite the butterflies filling in his stomach at the mention of it. "Don't worry, all good things, all good things."

Marinette looked at Alya suspiciously. "Okay..." She mumbled, before digging through her book bag to pull out a notebook. "Now that you guys just so happen to be here, you should totally help me out with my physics homework."

* * *

Adrien was woken from his slumber by Plagg who had bit him. "Ow! Dude, not cool!" He hissed as he sat up and rubbed at his cheek, the area where Plagg attacked.

Plagg rolled his eyes before pulling onto Adrien's t-shirt, trying to get him out of bed. "No time for that! I need camembert!" He nagged as Adrien rolled out of bed.

Adrien paused from where he sat, hearing a noise muffled by his window. "Wait, did you hear that?" He asked, cutting Plagg off from his complaining. He opened the window and stuck his head out, listening for any suspicious noise. After a couple seconds of silence, he heard a scream, which suddenly stopped halfway through. "An akuma? At this time?" Adrien asked, turning to look at Plagg.

Plagg shrugged, being just about as much help as usual. "Who knows. I just woke up to that noise thinking it was my stomach." He explained as he rubbed his eyes sleepily.

"Well, we need to investigate!" Adrien decided, despite Plaggs protesting. "Plagg, claws out!" He ordered, holding out his ring with a wicked smile. He could only pray that Ladybug would wake up from the noise as well.

* * *

"Tikki? What's going on?" Marinette murmured as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes after being shaken awake from her kwami.

"Marinette, we have to hurry!" Tikki pleaded, helping pull the comforter off of her. "Chat keeps calling! I think there's an akuma." She explained after Marinette finally crawled out of bed.

"An akuma? At this time?" Marinette moaned, stretching her arms. "Doesn't Hawkmoth need sleep as well?" She let out a heavy sigh as she realised where this was all going.

"It doesn't matter, we have to go make sure!" Tikki insisted, motioning for her to hurry up.

Marinette let out another long, annoyed sigh. "I know you're right, but im still not happy about it." She murmured, grumpy due to the lack of sleep. "Tikki, spots on!" She added, not nearly as much enthusiasm as it usually holds.

* * *

"Chat Noir, what is it?" Ladybug asked through the screen. Chat Noir let out a long sigh of relief, although there was a hint of annoyance laced in it.

"Ladybug! Finally!" He cheered, crouched behind a chimney. "It's an akuma. It's near the Pont des Arts." Chat explained, looking down at the small screen on his baton.

Ladybug nodded her head, not needing anymore information then that. "On my way. Hold tight." She answered, before swiftly hanging up.

Chat Noir peeked behind the chimney to look at the akuma, who had been walking the streets waiting for any kind of noise. Whether it was a person on a late night walk or the sound of a trash can closing due to the wind, the akuma silenced it with the flick of her wrist. Whenever it was a person, you could see the panic in there eyes as their scream was cut off, the akuma taking their voice. Chat assumed she was an assistant due to her attire. She must of been fed up having to listen to people.

As Ladybug joined him he spotted the bracelet on her wrist, a gold charm dangling from it. "I think the akuma is in her bracelet." Chat Noir whispered, turning to glance at Ladybug. She answered with a nod, turning back to examine the akuma more, trying to sort out a plan.

"You distract the akuma while I try and get closer." Ladybug ordered before she used her yo-yo to get a couple roofs down. Chat Noir saluted her before jumping down into an ally, a devious plan forming in his head.

The akuma was startled by the loud sound of garbage can lids slamming together, her eyes whipping towards the silly Chat Noir, who was currently feigning innocence. "Oops." He hummed, a smirk on his lips. The akuma growled while flicking her wrist, planning on shooting him with the purple dust that silenced her victims. Instead, he had reflected the punch using the garbage can lids, which were of course silenced in his place. "Ooo, that was im-paw-ssive!"

Ladybug rolled her eyes at Chat's pun, but focused once more on not making a sound. She had slipped down a fire escape from behind the akuma and had started to advance on it, hoping Chat would be able to distract her long enough. Her plan was ruined as soon as she got close. "Ladybug! Ladybug, over here!" Chloe screamed from the balcony of her fathers hotel. Ladybug groaned as she rested her head in her hands, not even the least bit surprised.

"Shh!" The akuma hissed, silencing Chloe quickly before turning to Ladybug. She could see Chloe freaking out in the corner of her eye, face turning red from the anger of not being heard.

"Lucky charm!"

Ladybug stared at the mirror that landed in her hand, confused until the akuma started to target her. She lifted the glass, just in time, watching as the dust was reflected off of it. It looked like getting the charm was up to Chat now. Ladybug sent a wink his way before she spoke. "Well, isn't this un-fur-tunate." She let out a fake gasp, dodging the akuma's attacks like it was nothing. Chat Noir, who seemed to know what she meant, began to creep up on the akuma. "Paw-don me!" Ladybug spoke with a laugh as she ran onto the Pont des Arts, leading the akuma towards her.

The akuma fell right into their trap. Chat used cataclysm to take out a floorboard, causing the akuma to fall and the charm to go flying off her wrist and right into Ladybugs hands. The akuma lunged at Chat who had quickly dodged, but he wasn't fast enough. The akuma stepped hard on his tail, causing Chat to stumble and fall right over the bridges railing and into the River Seine. "Chat!" Ladybug's scream echoed through the river as she destroyed the bracelet with ease. Chat saw the light pink colour cleanse the city as he fell hard into the water.

"Ladybug!" He struggled to scream, taking a large mouthful of water. _"Just keep your head up."_ Chat repeated to himself. Every wave crashing over him caused him to go back under, always taking another mouth full of water when he did. He sighed in relief once he saw Ladybug jumping over the railing, landing into the water with a large splash. She was quick to grab him, dragging him towards the edge of the river. Chat attempted to help kick, to make her job easier, but if anything he just made it worse.

When they made it back on dry land, they both collapsed to the ground, breathing heavy as the sun began to peek over the horizon. There was a large crowd on the bridge, cheering after seeing them emerge from the water. "You... Stupid... Cat..." Ladybug hissed as she panted, right before Chat began to cough up a bunch of water. She sat up and placed a hand on his back, rubbing in slow circles.

"Ugh, the sun's already rising. School is going to suck today." Ladybug complained, letting out a heavy sigh in annoyance as he recovered.

Chat stared at her before nodding slowly. She didn't even react to the fact he gave her information about her real self, no matter how small. Usually she was so careful about that kind of stuff. "So, now I know you go to school." He teased, his usual Chat Noir smirk rising on his face.

Ladybug rolled her eyes and shoved him lightly. "I'm glad you're okay..." She admitted, shyly, before her confidence seemed to rush back to her. "Now come on, we have a bunch of adoring fans to meet." She laughed as she gestured up to the waiting crowd.

* * *

Adrien let out a long moan as his alarm went off for the fifth time. "Just shut it off." Plagg moaned from where he lay in the pile of blankets. Adrien wanted nothing more then to do just that, but he knew if he waited any longer he would be late.

His father would probably use one missed day as an excuse to pull him out. "You know we have to get up." He let out a yawn as he sat up, eventually pulling Plagg from the blankets, despite his complaints. "I'll give you camembert, doesn't that sound nice?" He teased, knowing it would work. Before Plagg could answer and cheer with glee, they were interrupted by the sound of his phone.

It was a text message from Marinette, replying to his earlier message he sent last night. He sent her a simple message, asking if she was awake after getting home from a rather long photo shoot. He couldn't fall asleep and yet all he could think of was her, and so he decided to text her in hopes she would be awake. Of course, a couple hours later, he was awoken to go fight the stupid akuma and ended up soaked head to toe.

 **'Sorry! Phone was on silent but I was awake :('**

 **-Mari**

Plagg shook him from his thoughts, his dreamy smile turning into a frown. "Ooo. Message from your girlfriend?" He teased, flying around his head in small circles.

"Shut up, Plagg." Adrien hissed, in no mood for his jokes. "She's just a friend and you know that." He added, eyebrows furrowing with annoyance.

"But you'd want her to be more." Plagg broke in. It wasn't a question, like it was clear it was true. Adrien rolled his eyes, knowing Plagg wouldn't understand no matter how many times he said it. Although, he was thinking of Marinette quite a lot recently... She was beautiful, kind, and had a soft spot for Chat Noir, but alas, his heart belonged to his lady. "I don't see why you save yourself for her when she wont give you the time of day." Plagg added, seeming to read his mind.

Adrien had to admit, there was truth to his words. He could try all he wants, but deep down he knew that Ladybug would never return his feelings. "So... I have a crush on Marinette." He spoke, although it sounded more like he was telling himself. As soon as he said the words, it felt like a weight was lifted from his shoulders. "I have a crush on Marinette!" He repeated, looking to Plagg with an excited grin.

"So, lover boy, what now?"

* * *

Marinette paced her room as Alya sat on her couch, her phone flat on her desk. "If you continue pacing you're going to burn a hole through the ground." Her friend teased, rolling her eyes as she crossed her arms over her chest.

Instead of answering, Marinette ignored her, turning to face her with a panicked expression. "This shouldn't be so hard!" She whined, placing a hand on her forehead. "He's just a friend. It's not hard to send a simple text message to a friend." She added, taking a few steps towards her phone.

"That's because he isn't!" Alya interjected, throwing her arms out, exasperatedly. "Did you see how you two were teasing each other when we watched the fireworks? _Dancing?_ " She reminded her as she stood up and walked towards her Alya grabbed her phone quickly before she could protest. "Mm... Perfect! And... Send!" Marinette screeched in horror, quickly latching onto her friends arm after she finished typing. "Relax. All it says is what you wanted to say. 'Hey Adrien, I was wondering if you wanted to hang out today!' how simple is that."

Marinette fell to her knees with her head in her hands before she let out a wail. "An exclamation point? Really? Now that sounds too excited. You didn't even put in a typo! Way too proper!" She listed out her complaints and was soon cut off by the sound of her phone beeping, signalling that Adrien had answered. Marinette dove for the phone, but Alya kept it out of her reach.

"Oh, Marinette, why would I want to after that exclamation point?" Alya teased, pretending to read it out as Marinette stuck her tongue out at her. "Just kidding. It actually says, _'Hey Marinette, I was actually just about to text you and see if you wanted to hang out at lunch. I'll explain more at school, just don't fall down the stairs again.'_ Oh my gosh. Even flirting in text. How precious."

"Alya, it's not flirting!" Marinette screeched, catching her phone as Alya passed it back to her. "He doesn't like me that way. I know he doesn't."

Alya rolled her eyes as she picked up her bag from the ground. "Sure he doesn't. Anyways, we better head to school before we're late." She teased, once more, gesturing towards the trap door downstairs. Alya sighed as she saw her friend curled up into a ball on the floor. No matter how hard she tried to deny it, she knew he loved that boy.

"Don't worry, Marinette. I'm sure everything will work out."

* * *

"Hey, Nino?" Adrien hummed as the pair walked through the hall towards their class. He continued when Nino nodded his head and looked at him, taking a sip from his cup of coffee. "How do you ask a girl out?"

Nino burst out into a fit of coughs, choking on his drink. "Dude!" He moaned, clutching onto his throat after calming down. "Couldn't you have waited until I was done drinking?" He asked, glaring at his laughing friend. Adrien mumbled out an apology, clutching onto his stomach as his laughter finally subsided. "You like someone? Who is it?" He eventually began to pester his friend for details, excitement bubbling up in his chest at the thought of his friend no longer being the third wheel to him and Alya.

"Woah, woah!" Adrien started, panic beginning to set in. "It's all hypothetical!" He tried to tell him, hoping he would believe him.

Instead, Nino ignored him. "Is it Marinette? Yo, it's totally Marinette. I see how you look at her. Oh my god, that is so cute. Dude, you so need to ask her o-" Nino was cut off from his rambling after Adrien harshly slapped a hand over his mouth.

"Shh!" He hushed, hesitently moving his hand from Nino's mouth. "Someone might hear you."

Nino gave him a sheepish smile as an apology, but instantly began to continue pestering, much quieter now. "That proves it. You like her." He gave his friend a slap on the back as they finally began to continue towards the classroom.

"Yes... Just don't tell anyone. I still am trying to figure out how to ask her." Adrien admitted as the pair walked into class. Nino gave his girlfriend a friendly smile and a wave before sitting down, while Adrien wouldn't even look up from his feet, sitting down next to Nino with a blush on his cheeks.

 _"Ooo, you have it bad."_

* * *

Marinette was counting down the minutes to the end of class, excited for lunch to finally begin. She was a bit confused when Adrien wouldn't even give her a second glance for the start of the class, but eventually he started acting normal again. Well, reasonably normal. Whenever Marinette spoke, he couldn't even meet her eyes, his face turning red. Did she have something on her face or did she just look bad?

"So, what were you thinking on doing?" Marinette asked, standing by Adrien's desk as he packed his things away. She giggled as he jumped, obviously being startled.

"O-Oh, hey!" Adrien greeted, rubbing his neck, awkwardly. "Well, I...I was thinking that we- I mean, if you wanted to, could go have a mini little picnic in the park... I, um, brought a basket..." He offered, his face bright red in embarrassment.

"L-Like a date?" Marinette asked, shock written across her face.

Adrien looked up to give Marinette an embarrassed, yet friendly, smile. "Um, yeah... That is if you want to..." He murmured, his stomach filled with butterflies.

Marinette began to shy away as her face began to heat up, causing Adrien to relax slightly. "S-ye-I mean- Okay! Fun sounds!" She blabbered on, eventually resulting in her slapping a hand on her forehead. "I mean, sounds fun!"

Adrien couldn't help but laugh, Marinette soon joining him. He couldn't help but stare as her freckled covered nose crinkled, her bright blue eyes lighting up with delight. How he never realised how beautiful she was before, he didn't know. Eventually, Adrien held out a hand for Marinette to take. With a shy smile, she laced her fingers with his before he led her out into the hall.

Marinette could practically feel the glares from Chloe and Lila piercing the back of her head but she didn't care. All that mattered now was the panic rising in her chest as she was hit with realisation. She was holding hands with Adrien, with Chat Noir. Adrien didn't like her... He liked Ladybug...

Did he find out she was Ladybug?


	4. Chapter 4

Marinette felt like her brain was going to explode from how fast she was thinking. She was making up crazy reasons for why Adrien would ask her on a date. Basic, boring, Marinette. He had to of figured out she is Ladybug, right? There's no other explanation for why he would ask her out.

She was cut off from her thoughts by Adrien, who looked down at her with a worried frown. "Marinette, you feeling okay?" He asked, squeezing her clammy hand.

Marinette jumped slightly, causing Adrien to let out a small laugh. "Y-yeah. I'm fine. Just thinking." She reassured him, although she didn't sound so convincing.

Adrien furrowed his eyebrows as he examined her, not really believing her. He shrugged his shoulders and left it alone, it being obvious she didn't want to talk about it. They continued the walk in silence, the air thick with tension. He knew something was bothering her yet he had no way of knowing what. "Is here okay?" Adrien asked, stopping at a spot under a tree. Marinette nodded her head with a smile as he finally let go of her hand to lay down the picnic blanket.

Marinette couldn't help but laugh at the checkered blanket, finally seeming to relax a little. "That is so cliché." She spoke between her giggles, sitting cross-legged on the blanket as Adrien took out the food next to her.

After taking out all the food, he sat down next to Marinette. "What, it's cute!" He spoke with a laugh before sticking his tongue out at her, playfully. "I made a couple sandwiches and I have some slices of watermelon, it'll probably be nothing compared to your parents cooking though." Adrien admitted, scratching the back of his neck, shyly.

Marinette gave him a small, reassuring smile. "I'm sure it'll be great." She told him, taking a sandwich from the tupperware container.

For the most part, they ate in silence, only talking every once in awhile when Adrien tried to break the tension. It never worked, Marinette couldn't stop her mind from worrying, feeling like her head was going to explode from all the thinking. Finally, after nearly finishing their meal, he snapped. "Seriously, Marinette. What's wrong." He burst out, placing his hand on top of hers in attempt to help her speak.

It only made her more nervous.

Marinette took in a deep breath, like she was preparing to tell him something big, only resulting in making Adrien anxious. "I just... I'm having trouble believing this is real..." She started, pausing to see Adrien's reaction. He looked like he was about to speak, eyebrows furrowed in confusion, but she quickly cut him off. "I don't think you really like me... Maybe the idea of me, but not the real me." She added, biting her lip afterwards in an attempt to keep her emotions at bay.

"Marinette, what are you talking about?" Adrien asked, frowning after she pulled her hand away from his. He felt his heart pounding in his chest, the rejection hitting him hard. He began to panic as he watched her shove her things back into her bag, looking about ready to run away.

"I just can't believe that a guy like you would like basic, boring, Marinette." Marinette admitted, gesturing to him and then to her as she stood up. Adrien let out a sigh of relief, realising she wasn't rejecting him because she didn't like him but because of her own insecurities.

"Marinette, I-" He began, ready to pour his heart out onto why she was wrong, but he was quickly cut off. The pair turned to look at a older looking woman screaming at a girl that looked to be around their age. The girl looked messy and tired, wearing sweatpants and a baggy t-shirt. Her hair was styled into the popular fringe and her bags under her eyes were almost as dark as her hair. Her skin looked ghostly, like she was sick. The only colour on her was her bright purple necklace.

"You couldn't at least try and dress up for this?" The woman screamed, causing a scene. The younger girl cringed, taking a step away. "You know how important this is to the family! I just wish you could be more like your sister." The woman gave the girl a long glare before stomping away.

"I hate people like that." Marinette hissed, watching as tears filled the poor girl's eyes. Adrien agreed, nodding his head as they watched the poor girl run out of the park, the opposite direction the woman left.

Marinette turned back to Adrien as she rubbed at her neck, awkwardly. "Anyways, back to what I was saying." He started, straightening his shirt just to do something with his hands. "Marinette Dupain-Cheng, I like you. All of you. And i'll admit, before last week, I never really noticed you... And i'm sorry for that. But these past couple days... They've probably been the best days of my life. Spending this time with you, with someone I know won't judge me and accepts me for who I am, puns and all... I'd love to get to know you even better and maybe, if you want, be more than just friends..."

Marinette stared up at Adrien with wide eyes and a open mouth. Her heart pounded hard in her chest, tightening with his words. How was she supposed to respond to something like that? She fought the urge to run away as the thoughts of him finding out she was Ladybug still lingered in her mind.

"So, what do you sa-" Adrien was cut off once more, resulting in him letting out a frustrated groan. His eyes widened as he watched a large creature stomp into the park, walking on its gigantic front paws. The monster's legs were much smaller, their feet dangled in the air, much too short to reach the ground. The monster's torso was only a black spine, disappearing under the cropped shirt the monster wore. Adrien gasped after seeing the monsters face, the girl from before, this time with razor sharp fangs leaving her mouth and dark grey horns coming from her head. "Another akuma? Two in one day? Marinette, run!"

Adrien turned to join Marinette but she was already halfway towards her bakery, causing him to sigh in relief. At least it would be easy for him to get away from her to transform. "Plagg, claws out!" He whispered from behind a tree.

Meanwhile, Ladybug was already running towards the akuma, helping people evacuate even when they were already running and screaming. She never saw an akuma so deadly and violent before, destroying benches and trees in the park with her massive paws. She knew Hawkmoth wanted their miraculous but she never knew how far he would actually go to get them.

"Ladybug! Do you know where her akuma is?" Chat Noir asked, landing beside her. Ladybug shook her head as she watched the large monster destroy everything in its path. "I've never seen an akuma that _hurts_ before." He spoke absentmindedly, looking at the monster with wide eyes. Sure, there had been akuma's attempting to hurt them, but with this one it seemed all of it's attacks would be violent.

"Nightmare..." Ladybug spoke, just above a whisper. Chat almost didn't hear her, but it was clear that's what she decided to name it. "It's in her necklace." She added, nodding firmly as she started to form a plan in her head. "This isn't going to be easy. Chat, you ready?' She asked, standing up from her crouched position.

Chat nodded firmly before he stood, getting ready to pounce towards the akuma. "Wait!" Ladybug started, grabbing onto his wrist to stop him from moving. Chat looked at her with a curious frown. "Just... Be careful." She warned, hand finally leaving his wrist as she gave him one last worried frown. She was swinging away before he could snap himself out of his shock.

Ladybug and Chat Noir landed a couple metres away from Nightmare, baton and yo-yo out and ready for whatever the monster was going to throw at them. "Purr-haps you should just hand over your miraculous while you can." Chat suggested, leaning against his baton with his usual cocky attitude. Ladybug rolled her eyes.

Nightmare stomped her gigantic feet into the ground before letting out a loud roar, mouth opening to reveal her crooked sharp teeth. "Thank god, she hates your puns too." Ladybug laughed, although there was no attitude in her voice.

Chat was about to answer, with no doubt another pun, but the akuma started to charge towards them, claws leaving deep marks in the ground behind her. "Ladybug, jump!" Before she could react, she was thrown to the side by her partner. The pair lay on the ground next to each other as the akuma slowed down and turned towards them. "C'mon!" The duo jumped to their feet with their weapons ready.

Ladybug spun her yo-yo around in circles before throwing it at the akuma, hitting it hard in the head. With a swift pull, her yo-yo came right back to her hand. Nightmare shook her head viciously before growling at her, charging forwards. "Chat, you go for the miraculous while I keep her busy!" She yelled as she began to run away, planning on circling around the park.

As Ladybug used her yo-yo to swing from tree to tree, Chat got comfortable on a lamp post, waiting for the perfect time to attack. Ladybug was on her way towards him, a confident smile on her face, when the akuma began to catch up. "Ladybug, hurry!" Chat screamed, panic in his voice as he watched Nightmare gain on her.

It was like slow-motion, watching her throw her yo-yo. Before she even threw it, Chat knew it wouldn't be fast enough. "Ladybug!" He screamed, voice echoing in his ears as he jumped across lamp posts to get to her. Her yo-yo was wrapping around the thick branch of a tree when the akuma's claws dug through her back, slicing through her suit and skin. The monster's paw was meant to crush her, but landed short.

With a growl, Chat jumped onto the monster's back, claws digging deep into the girl's shoulder as it tried to buck her off. "Lucky charm!" Chat watched as a bottle of hairspray landed in her hands. She shrugged, before tossing it to Chat. He sprayed the bottle into the akuma's face, jumping off when Ladybug threw her yo-yo around the akuma's legs. With a small tug, the akuma fell to the ground. Chat was quick to rip the necklace from her neck, throwing it to the ground and stomping on it.

Ladybug caught the akuma with her yo-yo with precision, watching it fly off as she picked up the bottle of hairspray. It burned to bend over and pick it up. She could hear Chat rushing over as she threw the bottle into the air, the swarm of ladybugs flying out to fix the city.

"Ladybug!" Chat was at her side quickly, examining her already fixed suit. The blood soaking through her suit was barely noticeable against the red and black.

"It's not that bad..." Ladybug huffed, back slouched slightly as she shook from the sharp pain rushing up her spine. "I should be able to make it home fine." She added, cringing as she felt the blood rolling down her back. She could practically feel Chat rolling his eyes.

"You know I won't let that happen." Chat spoke with a scoff, wrapping one of Ladybugs arms around him for support. "You need to see a doctor." He added, ignoring the sound of her earring beeping.

Ladybug looked at him with wide eyes before violently shaking her head. "I can't! They'll know who I am!" She fought back, flinching as her head began to throb from the movement. "You know this fight will be posted everywhere, right?" She added, opening an eye to look at Chat's worried expression.

"Well, I can't just leave you like this!" He gestured to her as he spoke, clearly irritated as his eyebrows furrowed. He let out a frustrated sigh as he examined the marks on her back. He couldn't just leave her to find her way home. It was clear she could need stitches and something to disinfect the wound. "We could find somewhere safe where I could patch you-"

"Just take me to your house." Ladybug interrupted after letting out a long sigh. Chat looked like he was about to ask her about keeping their identities secret, but Ladybug interrupted. "I know who you are." She admitted, the words falling out of her lips without a second thought. Deep down, she knew it would all be easier if he just knew.

Chat's eyes widened as his mouth fell open in shock, stumbling with his words as he thought of a response. Eventually, his features sharpened as he realised this wasn't really the time and the place to be discussing this, and he lifted her up like she weighed nothing. Ladybug let out a surprised squeal before Chat was racing across rooftops, on the way towards the Agreste mansion.

"We'll talk after I get you patched up..."

Ladybug sat in front of Adrien, resembling a guilty puppy as she fidgeted in her seat.

"Just de-transform so I can patch you up. You have what, two minutes left? It makes no difference if you do it now or later!" Ladybug flinched at Adrien's tone, knowing she deserved it. He had a right to be mad after how long she has kept this from him. It wasn't fair. "Just... Please... I need to clean your wounds..." Adrien begged after a long sigh, calming down slightly.

"Please don't be mad..." Ladybug spoke before shutting her eyes tight as she transformed back to Marinette. She kept her eyes shut after the transformation finished, cringing as she heard Adrien gasp.

"M-Marinette..." At his words, she quickly covered her face with her hands, curling into a ball despite the pain shooting up her spine. "Marinette... Please look at me?" Adrien asked with a shaky voice, although it didn't sound like a question. He sounded much closer than before. She eventually let him move her hands away, finally looking up to meet his eyes. "Why didn't you tell me?" Marinette's frown grew as she looked at his face, looking utterly broken.

"Because I knew you could never like me... You like Ladybug." She admitted, before realising how stupid that explanation sounded. "I'm nothing like her. We're two different people. I'm really sorry... You must be disappointed, really."

Adrien's face softened as he watched her eyes fill up with tears, guilt forming in his chest from being the reason she was so sad. "Marinette, like I said before, earlier today... I like you. All of you. And despite what you might think, you and Ladybug aren't that different... I see her in you everyday. Now, thinking about it, it's silly I never noticed it before." He laughed awkwardly as he brushed his hand through his hair, other hand grabbing onto one of Marinette's hands. "Whether you believe it or not, with or without the mask, the same kind, beautiful, brave girl is underneath."

Marinette looked up at Adrien with wide eyes, staring at him for a couple seconds to see if he was lying. She half expected Ashton Kutcher to jump out and yell, 'you've been punked!'

"You really think so?"

Marinette couldn't help the contagious grin growing on her face as Adrien looked down at her with a smile. "I know so." Adrien told her, causing her smile to grow even larger. She couldn't help but pull him into a tight hug. He took a second to reciprocate, but wrapped his arms eagerly around her. He only pulled away after feeling her blood seeping through her coat.

"This is all very sweet, but I really think my back needs to get patched up now." Marinette spoke with laughter in her voice, despite the pain. Adrien laughed awkwardly as he helped her pull off her coat, slightly embarrassed by the fact he totally forgot about her wound.

Adrien cringed as Marinette winced from the movement then blushed as she realised she'd need to take off her shirt. "You're lucky, you don't need stitches. It looks like your kwami took most of the blow." Adrien explained as he walked to his bathroom to grab the first aid kit. It was a rather large one, due to his wealth.

"You planning on performing surgery or what?" Marinette joked as she watched him pull out gloves from the first aid kit beside her. Adrien snorted as a reply as he took out rubbing alcohol to clean her wound. Marinette shut her eyes after watching him pour it onto some cotton pads. "This is going to hurt." She added, clinging onto one of his random shirts on the floor to brace herself. Besides the sharp intake of breath and her tensing back, she didn't look too affected by the pain.

Adrien patched up her wound silently, only speaking after he eventually covered it with some gauze. "You'll need to change the bandage, but besides that, you should live." He told her with a clap of his hands after taking off his gloves.

Marinette let out a fake gasp in relief. "Thank god, what would this city do without Ladybug." She spoke in an exaggerated tone, faking a shocked expression.

"Better yet, what would Chat Noir do without Ladybug? He would simply parish!"

The pair erupted into giggles, which soon trailed off into awkward silence. "So you're not disappointed it was me?" Adrien eventually asked, a nervous look on his face, expecting her to take it all back.

Marinette looked at him with her mouth agape in surprise. "W-What? Me? Disappointed?" She started, a stuttering mess before she paused to regain her voice. "Adrien, I have had a crush on you since the day you gave me your umbrella..." She admitted, twiddling her thumbs, nervously.

Marinette looked off to the side as she awaited a response, not able to meet his eyes. She could feel Adrien staring at her which just made her even more nervous. Eventually, after the long silence finally broke her, she glanced over at him. She was surprised to see the large grin stretched across his face. She relaxed slightly with relief as she couldn't help but return his smile. He opened his mouth, like he was going to say something, but was interrupted by a voice coming from outside his room.

"Adrien? Are you in there?" Nathalie called, voice getting closer with every word.

The pair were quick to jump up, Tikki and Plagg coming out of hiding to join them. Marinette was quick to transform and race over to the window, only looking back after she finally got it open. With a splurge of confidence from behind the mask, she gave Adrien a charming smile before she spoke. "See you tomorrow." Adrien's mouth opened with shock after she sent him a wink.

Despite the loud knocks on the door, Adrien couldn't help but watch her jump out the window with her yo-yo in hand. "You are totally done for." Plagg teased as he hid in his jacket pocket.

* * *

"You should be careful today." Tikki reminded Marinette for what seemed like the millionth time that morning. "You don't want your stitches to tear again." Marinette couldn't help but roll her eyes.

"I promise i'll be careful but I think we have bigger problems right now." Marinette told her as she walked closer and closer to the school.

Tikki poked her head out of her purse. "It'll be fine, Marinette. You heard him, didn't you? Adrien likes you! All of you!" She spoke reassuringly, before ducking back down in her purse as people walked by.

Marinette didn't reply as she tightened her hands around the strap of her bag. She knew Tikki was right but she couldn't help the nerves eating away at her. It wasn't too late to turn around and run home, was it? "Mari!" Alya called, waving her over in front of the steps of the school. With a long sigh, Marinette gave her a big smile and a wave before walking over to join her.

"Did you see that akuma attack yesterday?" Alya asked, already whipping out her phone as the pair headed inside the school. Before Marinette could answer, Alya already began explaining. "It was so awesome! Despite getting those sharp claws in her back, Ladybug still purified the akuma! And then Chat Noir carried her off! Can you believe it?"

"Yeah, crazy!" Marinette agreed as they both stopped at their lockers. She couldn't help but glance around for Adrien, poking her head around a row of lockers in an attempt to remain hidden.

"Woah there, spy kid. Should I ask?" Alya asked, although Marinette knew she was going to anyways.

Marinette turned back to her and shrugged. "It's nothing." She told her, digging through her locker for her books. She stuck her tongue out at Alya after she rolled her eyes. "I know that look, and the answer is no so shut up about it." Marinette hissed, glaring her eyes at her friend.

Alya put up both her hands in mock surrender as a sly smirk grew on her face. "All im saying is, if you want to see Adrien so bad, just talk to him yourself." Alya couldn't help but laugh at the face her friend gave her.

Before Marinette could reply, two large hands placed themselves on her shoulders. She tensed after hearing the familiar voice. "Talk to me about what?" Adrien asked, acting like he didn't hear every syllable. She watched as Alya's face twisted in shock after Adrien planted a kiss on her cheek. "C'mon, i'll walk you to class."

Marinette let Adrien lace his fingers with her and lead her away, leaving behind a shocked Alya and Nino, who was cheering after joining his girlfriend. Adrien burst into laughter after looking at Marinette's shocked expression.

"What, after that declaration of my love, you didn't think I would follow through?" Adrien asked, swinging their hands as they made their way to class.

Marinette turned her face away as she began to blush, only resulting in Adrien laughing some more. "I'm just embarrassed." She told him, finally turning back to him. "Alya's face was pretty priceless, though." She added, a smile finally growing on her face.

Adrien began to giggle, bringing a hand up to hide his mouth. "Well, I would be too, considering you have a crush on me." He teased, resulting in Marinette's mouth falling open in horror. She squeezed his hand hard, glaring up at him with a frown.

"I hate you." She hissed, giving him one last face before turning away from him to sulk.

"No you don't." He teased, a confident smile on his face. Marinette turned to him and couldn't help but smile back.

Marinette decided to surprise him instead, stopping to turn towards him and pull his face to hers. With a large grin, she pulled away from him just as Adrien was beginning to kiss her back. He blinked twice as he stared down at her, clearly shocked. Marinette began to laugh, causing Adrien to relax as he couldn't help but laugh along with her.

"I don't know how I got so lucky…" Adrien murmured, taking a hand to cup her cheek to bring her in for another kiss.

Marinettes smile grew as she heard Chloe's protests across the hall.


End file.
